Sony Ends Support for Aibo Robot Dogs
Posted on March 7, 2015
Sony is ending years of support for its Aibo robotic dog toys. The robot dogs were manufactured by Sony from 1996 to 2006.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Sony sold 150,000 Aibos ranging in price from $600 to $2,000. Most of the them were sold in Japan where Aibo owner continue to keep them running today - although it is getting more difficult with the company no longer supporting them. IEEE says Sony is primarily ending support for the dog bots due to a lack of available spare parts.
Sony should consider relaunching the given how popular they are and how much Aibo owners seem to care for them. Some Aibo owners even hold funerals for their Aibos. The Wall Street Journal says some fans in Japan are finding ways to repair their robot dogs themselves now the Sony has ended its maintenance services.